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How to Grow Butterfly Bushes: Planting, Pruning & Pollinator Tips

Attract beautiful butterflies to your garden with a butterfly bush.

Image Credit:
Willowpix/Getty
Botanical Name
Buddleia davidii
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
6-10 feet
Spread
6-10 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Alkaline
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Special Features
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Fragrant
Long Blooming
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Drought-Tolerant
Heat-Tolerant
Salt Tolerant
Plant Type
Shrubs and Bushes
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

If you’ve ever dreamed of a garden buzzing with butterflies, the butterfly bush might seem like your perfect match. With its arching stems and cone-shaped clusters of fragrant blooms, this fast-growing shrub is a pollinator magnet that brings nonstop summer color. But before you plant, there’s more to consider—like when to prune (hint: not too early!) and whether your region may classify it as invasive. 

In this guide, we’ll help you plant, grow, prune, and responsibly care for Buddleja—so you can enjoy its beauty while being a smart steward of your garden.

Also called “summer lilacs,” butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. Growing 5 to 10 feet tall, this large, arching shrub produces an abundance of flowers—long, spiked trusses—in mainly purple and pink colors. The shrub grows well in perennial gardens or as a shrub border, and the flowers are good for cutting.

Don’t prune at the wrong time. Butterfly bush growth appears on new wood, so pruning should wait until the new wood is ready to grow in spring. Also, be patient with this shrub as it may not leaf out in the spring until after other perennials. 

butterfly on a butterfly bush

Invasive Concerns of Butterfly Bushes

Please note that the butterfly bush, originally imported from China, has been classified as an invasive species in many U.S. states, as it’s known to crowd out native plants that are essential to wildlife. In warm climates, it can become a noxious weed and spread aggressively, while in cooler climates, it mostly stays contained if gardeners deadhead the flowers.

Note: The butterfly bush does provide adult butterflies with nectar similar to that of many flowers. However, it is not a “host plant” for butterfly larvae; if you want the butterflies to stay, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster, and dill. See plants that attract butterflies.  

If you would still like to put a butterfly bush in your garden, there are a few species of non-invasive butterfly bushes native to the southwestern United States. Also, there are newer varieties that stay compact and won’t take over your garden. See our native list of butterfly bushes below.

Please check with your local cooperative extension for more information.

Planting

Choose a location with full sun and moist, well-draining soil. 

When to Plant

How to Plant

  • Loosen the soil from 12 to 15 inches deep and mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
  • Dig a hole twice the diameter of the plant container.
  • When placing the plant in the hole, the top of the rootball should be level with the soil surface. Gently backfill the hole around the root ball. Firm the soil.
  • Water thoroughly.

Growing

Caring for Butterfly Bushes

  • Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week.
  • Avoid fertilizing butterfly bush; too much fertility promotes leaf growth over flower production.
  • Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds. In addition, it is important to deadhead the flowers just as they start to wither so that this invasive plant doesn’t spread volunteer seeds. Deadheading of this invasive is now required in many states.
  • Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost, then 2 to 4 inches of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds.
  • In cold, Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through the winter.
  • Buddleias are very late to break dormancy, so don’t be in a hurry to assess winter damage.
  • The bush should bloom abundantly even in its first year. In warmer climates, the bushes will grow into trees and develop rugged trunks that peel; peeling is normal.
  • In the northern limit of their range, they behave as herbaceous perennials, dying back to the root in cold winters.

Pruning Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bushes must be pruned vigorously, or their flowers will grow up so high that you can’t see and enjoy them!

  • Since butterfly bushes bloom on new wood, even if there is no dieback, cut them back to the ground early each spring. Yes, hack to the ground!
  • Also, prune out dead stems, cutting them close to the ground.
  • Even where winters are mild enough for the stems to survive, prune severely to stimulate abundant growth on which flowers are borne.

Pests and Problems

  • Susceptible to capsid bugs, caterpillars, weevils, mullein moths, and spider mites.
  • Fungal leaf spots and die-backs can occur.
  • Butterfly bushes are one of many deer-resistant plants.

Types

We are no longer recommending new plantings of the butterfly bush, given its categorization as an invasive in most of North America. Instead, we recommend using plants that better support the native landscape and food web, given our declining pollinator population. See alternative plants that attract butterflies.

Native Alternatives to Butterfly Bushes

Here are a few great flowering alternatives that also serve as host plants for caterpillars:

See a list of host plants native to your area here: Native Plant Finder

Shrubs and Trees

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 07/25/2016 - 11:20

Hi Susan,

The bushy growth habit you like is the result of proper pruning (not cutting down to the ground). With respect to your leaves, there are a few different insect pests that cause that kind of damage. All told, your buddleia doesn't sound like it is particularly healthy. But don't despair, this is a great opportunity! The standard Butterfly bush is an invasive species; horticulturists now advise against planting it, so consider replacing yours with a non-invasive, sterile cultivar like 'Asian Moon', 'Blue Chip', or 'Ice Chip'.

 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.texasorganichome.com/">Betty Saenz Re…</a> Wed, 06/29/2016 - 20:22
I have mostly natives and some edibles and adapteds in my yard in Leander Texas. I just had a Hummingbird Moth visit me while I was sitting on a sandstone boulder in front of my Butterfly Bush or Buddleia davidii. I had a beautiful little ladybug too!!!
<span>David</span> Wed, 08/24/2016 - 18:16
I have a place in Collingwood Ontario. An hour and half north of Toronto. I had a moth hummingbird visit my butterfly bush for the first time in 3 years. When I first saw it years ago I did not know what it was. I was so happy to see it again this year.
<span>Theresa Tibbetts</span> Sun, 06/19/2016 - 21:40
I did not cut it back but it has new growth coming from the root. Can I transplant it now it is June 19th 2016. If I can should I cut the old branches that have no growth o. Them?
<span>Mary</span> Thu, 06/23/2016 - 10:55
I am in lower Michigan near Detroit - I planted a new butterfly bush in May - I see what appears to be the beginnings of flowers, but I haven't seen any of the small green buds materialize into full flowers.....When should I expect to see blooms?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 06/21/2016 - 15:54

Buddleia has a very shallow root system, which makes successful transplanting a challenge. Be prepared by watering it well before and after digging. Also dig wide around the root zone to get as many feeder roots as possible. Before transplanting, only prune what you know is dead. (It blooms on one-year-old wood.)

 <span>Deb</span> Mon, 06/06/2016 - 12:40
I am in Ohio it is the beginning of June and the bushes are about 5 feet tall and wild looking but without blooms. Can I prune them now with any luck of their flowering this summer?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/06/2016 - 15:12

You should have time to prune them as long as you do it very soon, although they may not bloom. Hopefully they will bloom next year as long as you get your pruning done a bit earlier.

 <span>Martha</span> Fri, 06/03/2016 - 19:15
Want to plant a dwarf butterfly bush in a half whiskey barrel due to a moist garden area and no place to put inside in Ohio winter. Is this a good idea?
<span>Paul Botten</span> Wed, 06/01/2016 - 14:38
We live Lawton OK and planted a small budleia bush (approx 12" high). It was promptly eaten by rabbits and we now have a 3' stem sticking out of the ground.(We also planted two lilac trees with the same result). Over the past 2 weeks no new shoots have appeared. Will this plant survive? Our soil is mainly clay but we did plant the bush in a good mixture of potting soil, sand and gypsum. Yesterday (5/31/16) we bought another larger plant with several branches that have several dead flowers on them. It's still in the pot. I also purchased some green metal frames that can form a square around the plant plus chicken wire to keep out the rabbits until the bush is established. We have just moved from CO to OK and this is our first shot at planting a budleia. Can you advise our next steps?